U.S. Eyes Bank Pay Overhaul  —  Administration in Early Talks on Ways to Curb Compensation Across Finance  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has begun serious talks about how it can change compensation practices across the financial-services industry, including at companies …

Democrats: CIA is out to get us  —  Democrats charged Tuesday that the CIA has released documents about congressional briefings on harsh interrogation techniques in order to deflect attention and blame away from itself.  —  “I think there is so much embarrassment in some quarters [of the CIA] …

Palin has book deal, memoir to come next year  —  NEW YORK - You knew it was coming: Sarah Palin is ready to tell her side, agreeing to publish a memoir with HarperCollins.  The book comes out in Spring 2010 — the year she is up for re-election.  —  “There's been so much written …

Inquirer defends the indefensible: A monthly column by torture architect John Yoo  —  By late last year, the world already knew a great deal about John Yoo, the Philadelphia native and conservative legal scholar whose tenure in the Bush administration as a top Justice Department lawyer lies …

GOP to rebrand Dems as ‘socialists’  —  A member of the Republican National Committee told me Tuesday that when the RNC meets in an extraordinary special session next week, it will approve a resolution rebranding Democrats as the “Democrat Socialist Party.”  —  When I asked if such a resolution …

Reid: Johnsen Doesn't Have Votes for DOJ Post  —  As Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) moves to ease a backlog of executive branch nominations, he suggested on Tuesday that he does not have the votes to bring up President Barack Obama's pick to run the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel.

Chrysler and the Rule of Law  —  The Founders put the contracts clause in the Constitution for a reason.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  The rule of law, not of men — an ideal tracing back to the ancient Greeks and well-known to our Founding Fathers — is the animating principle of the American experiment.

N.Y. Assembly Passes Gay Marriage Bill  —  ALBANY — The State Assembly approved legislation on Tuesday night that would make New York the sixth state to allow same-sex marriage — a pivotal vote that shifts the debate to the State Senate, where gay rights advocates and conservative groups alike are redoubling their efforts.

Analysis: Cheney attacks may not help GOP  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — To the chagrin, perhaps, of Republicans looking to rebuild the tattered party, Dick Cheney has grabbed the spotlight.  —  The recurring theme of the once-reclusive and largely unpopular former vice president …

Court orders could shut down Gitmo task force, gov't says  —  The Obama Administration is making a full court press to undo court orders requiring that lawyers for Guantanamo detainees receive full access to information being used by a task force President Barack Obama set up in January …

Report Warns of Insolvency for Social Security, Medicare  —  The financial health of the Social Security system has eroded more sharply in the past year than at any time since the mid-1990s, according to a government forecast that ratchets up pressure on the Obama administration and Congress …

The Supreme Court's Hostility to the Voting Rights Act  —  It is hard to imagine an area in which Congress has more express constitutional authority to act than in protecting the right of minorities to vote.  —  When the Civil War ended and the hard work began in creating a nation …

White House Indicates ‘Great Concern’ About Releasing Photos of Detainee Abuse  —  The Obama administration signaled yesterday that it may be rethinking its promise to release several dozen photos depicting abuse or alleged abuse of detainees held in U.S. custody abroad.

Radio rage  —  The assassination jokes and “liberal” conspiracy theories on talk radio could be an ominous sign of things to come.  Plus: Madonna vs. Daniela, gay men's favorite divas, a charming TV show for kids and more.  —  In John Frankenheimer's taut 1964 film, “Seven Days in May,” …

FDA Blasts General Mills Over Cheerios Claim  —  Cereal Makers Scolded Because Claim Of Lowering Cholesterol 10 Percent In Month Makes It A “Drug”  —  Company Fires Back: This Is About Language, Not Science  —  NEW YORK (CBS) ― The Food and Drug Administration scolded the makers …

Foreclosures: ‘April was a shocker’  —  A record number of foreclosure filings took place during April, but the number of repossessions fell 11%.  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Foreclosures in April exceeded even March's blistering pace with a record 342,000 homes receiving notices of default …

Obama's right on target in Afghanistan  —  The president has assembled an impressive military-diplomatic team and strategy that inspires confidence.  —  President Obama and his aides continue to impress with their handling of Afghanistan.  Not only have they approved a major troop increase …

Richard Posner Throwing In the Towel on the Conservative Movement  —  I actually don't know that much about Richard Posner's political views, being primarily familiar with his (quite good, in my opinion) more abstract and philosophical work.  But he's definitely a political conservative …

Records Show Billions Withdrawn Before Madoff Arrest  —  About $12 billion was pulled out of accounts at Bernard L. Madoff's firm in 2008, according to several people briefed on an analysis of Mr. Madoff's business records.  —  About $6 billion, or half, was taken out in just the three months …

‘A Blatant Extortion’  —  A judge slams plaintiffs lawyers' torts-for-import game.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Court cases get dismissed all the time, but rarely are dismissals as significant as the two lawsuits against Dole Food and other companies that were tossed recently by a California judge.